Friday, January 26, 2018

Larry Nassar sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison in sexual assault cases

Former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison on Wednesday in Ingham County Circuit Court in Michigan....

Nassar received his sentence after listening to 156 victim-impact statements over seven days, including powerful statements from Olympic medalists Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber, among others.

Nassar, who was also previously employed by Michigan State University, pleaded guilty to 10 charges of sexual assault in November split between two counties, including seven in Ingham County. His sentencing in Eaton County, where he faces the other three charges, is scheduled to begin Jan. 31.

Nassar's plea agreement had set the low end of his sentence at 25-40 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life in prison. The agreement also provided that women and girls abused by Nassar be given the chance to deliver victim-impact statements, if they wished to do so....

More than 150 seized that opportunity, speaking directly to Nassar in Aquilina’s courtroom. Roughly two dozen other victim-impact statements were submitted directly to the court, Michigan assistant attorney general Angela Povilaitis said.....

On Tuesday, Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina confirmed with prosecutors that they planned for three more impact statements Wednesday before moving on to the next phase, in which Nassar will learn his sentence.

However, at the start of each day, the Michigan Attorney General's Office, which prosecuted Nassar, has updated the total number of expected impact statements. What began as 88 speakers 11 days ago was at 158 on Tuesday morning, although several had not shown up before court recessed for the day....

As Nassar's sentencing hearing drew national attention, more and more women and girls reached out and wanted to speak.

Through those statements — most in person, but some through video or letters read by prosecutors — themes began to emerge.

There’s the trauma: Nightmares, PTSD, loss of trust and self-worth, loss of voice and suicidal thoughts.

There’s the abuse: Hundreds of instances of being sexually assaulted, digitally penetrated with Nassar’s ungloved hand, sometimes in an exam room, sometimes in the back room of Twistars gymnastics club, sometimes in his home and at least one in a supply closet.

And there’s triumph: Succeeding despite the abuse and trauma, but also reclaiming what Nassar took....

Nassar worked for Michigan State University and with USA Gymnastics for decades. Many of the women and girls who spoke these last two weeks said Nassar abused them at MSU or at USA Gymnastics sanctioned events or gyms.